Te Tc n K c“nu a 8 "op y Yeo ' [ NEW YORK, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1876. j 17 Chatham 8l!(CilyHBll t>qr.) 
For Forest and Stream. 
■'BUT.” 
S OME men teller tlieir piscatorial skill, 
Of the number, measure, and weight: 
Of how many times their creel did dll, 
And the novelties used for bait; 
Hut, w hat’er the amount of their angling joys, 
I can belter the record yet, 
By the greater measure, and avoirdupois, 
Of the fish that 1 didn't get. 
I have hooked that fish on the breezy sonnd, 
When trolling far ont from shore; 
1 worked him careful, and played him round, 
Perhaps an hour, or more; 
And .ill.I lie I got him, full in view, 
(About fonr feet long—yon bet;) 
The miserable line just snapped in two, 
And the beggar is going yet. 
And then that lime on the Saranac, 
When “Boh,” and “Jfm,” were along; 
Somehow or other, I had the knack 
Of pntlingit to ’em atrong. 
An old sockdolager thea I struck, 
(My line was the first one wet;) 
Ten pound brook-trout! but just my luck; 
That’B another J didn ‘t get. 
But It’s no use talking—I'll venture to say, 
If tho-o fish I had once got in; 
You might do your prettiest rnauy a day, 
Before ouch a prize you'd win. 
So while I don’t, hrua, and um no ways proud, 
I have smiled at accounts I’ve met, 
And thought to myself, L could beat the crowd, 
With the fish that 1 didn't, get. T. W. A. 
For Forest and Stream. 
fjjird ]§ut\t with <§twon. 
I HAVE long intended writing a letter to your very in¬ 
teresting journal, but the press of business lias pre¬ 
vented me from engaging in field sports almost entirely 
this season. But on a recent visit to Memphis, by one of 
those contretemps which caused me to miss the connection 
of the railway trains, I was forced to spend a day in the 
citypf Corinth, the home of your brilliant correspondent, 
Guyoo, who is an intimate friend of mine, besides being 
connected to me by marriage ties. So of course I called 
on my Cousins, and the greeting of the Guyon family made 
me feel quite at home. Guyon, besides being a thorough 
sportsman, is one of the most accomplished physicians and 
extensive practitioners in North Mississippi. He keeps a 
kennel of setters and pointers and a variety of sporting 
guns. I found him going into ecstacies over a hew Tolley 
gun, yet I was forced to laugh ia my sleeve when lie ac- 
kuowedged he could shoot an old muzzle-loader he had 
find transformed into a breech-loader, but tt was, he said, 
apologetically, because it fitted his shoulder best aud be 
was more accustomed to it. We mounted a couple of his 
good steeds, and whistling, Nora, Kate, and Belle, three 
beautiful bitches, the two first pointers, the last a Setter 
from the kennel of Col. VY. H. Sherrod, of North Alabama. 
Nora is an old favorite; but Kate, who came to him from 
the kennel of Pious Jeems, is a worthy rival of the petted 
Nora. But we are off; and as wtyide over the breastworks 
Where American met American as Greek met Greek in the 
'olden time, I could not keep down the bitter memories of 
the past. Tliere, battery Bobinct still stands, the only 
monument to my friend, the gallant Col. Rogers, of Texas, 
who fell within its enclosure amid ills foes. So gallant 
was the charge he made that even Gen. Rosencranz, who 
commanded the Federal forces, said, “he deserved a monu¬ 
ment as an American soldier,.although fighting against the 
Union.” As we rode farther on up the M. & R. R., we 
passed over the spot where my own brave command were 
engaged. I had the honor then to command the-Regt. 
of Mississippi Cavalry-, uuder that Murat of Southern 
chivalry, Gen. Frank C. Armstrong, who has recently 
crossed the bloody chasm and taken to his heart a Northern 
bride; and may he be as happy in his new love as hisold 
soldiers wish him to be. History lias never recorded the 
battle of Corinth correctly. It is there the gallant Van 
Dorn was defeated, even when he felt assured that victory 
was in his grasp. I will here make an explanation of facts 
that came under my own observation: We struck the 
enemy first at Chewalla, on the Memphis & Charleston 
Railroad, drove them back on the outer woods near Cor¬ 
inth. Armstrong’s brigade inarching left in front occupied 
the left wing of the Confederate Army. We advanced un¬ 
til the left rested on the M. & O. R. R., north of Corinth. 
Then Old Pap (Gen. Sterling Price) charged the outer 
works and captured them. What was done on the right 1 
could not see, but I could hear the constant roar of artil¬ 
lery and the rattling of small arms all along the line. Night 
closed in upon a victorious Confederate Army. Could 
Yan Dorn have then said, as Joshua did, “Sun, stand 
thou still upon Gideon, and thou moon, in the Valley of 
Ajulon!” the history of Corinth would have been different. 
B.it that lovely October night folded bet' mantle of glitter¬ 
ing stars over the slumbering Confederate soldiers, dream¬ 
ing of a victory on the morrow never to be won. Van 
Dorn’s plan (as be afterwards explained to roe at my own 
house! was for the infantry on the loft to begin the attack 
when his signal gun fired at dawn. The hissing shells that 
echoed our signal gun from the Federal batteries still re 
verberates through the halls of memory, recalling a dream- 
of by gone old soldier days. But alas! the infantry com¬ 
mander on our left for some cause failed to come to timo. 
Courier after courier was sent to hasten the attack, but 
that officer was asleep in a farm house (so I have heard). 
The attack should have been in echelon—the left striking 
first, then the centre, under the immediate command of 
Gen. Price, then the right, under Gen. Mansfield Lovell, to 
be burled on the rear of Corinth. The Federal forces had 
received at daylight large reinforcements, which had 
double quicked twelve miles, and arrived utterly exhaust¬ 
ed. Had the attack been made then, Van Dorn believed 
be could have charged over these exhausted reinforcements 
and taken Corimh; but they had until nearly ten o’clock 
to rest, and then Gen. Price charged from the centre and 
and was repulsed with heavy loss About this time I was 
ordered to report with my regiment to Gen. Lovell. 1 
thus passed along the entire line of battle. When I 
reached Lovell’s Division I hailed my command behind a 
hill so as to screen it from fire, and proceeded alone to 
Gen. Lovell. I shall never forget him as I saw him them. 
In my heart I bore him a prejudice for the fall of New Or¬ 
leans; but at that moment 1 forgave him all, for amid the 
bursting bombs and hissing balls, be sat a magnificently 
caparisoned charger, himself arrayed in a conspicuous uni¬ 
form of cavalry, directing the fight, 
“Shadowy like a spirit of file, 
Shrined in fie own grand element.” 
Irepoited my command ready for his orders. He re¬ 
plied, “I don’t know what Gen. Van Dorn sent you for; 
I’ve got no use for cavalry hei’e. Col., look at my meu 
fight ; isn’t that beautiful?” it was indeed very grand, 
but I could never see any beauty in standing under fire 
when not engaged myself. At this moment a courier 
dashed up with an order from Gen. Van Dorn for him to 
withdraw his division from the engagement. He turned to 
me with a glance of defiance, and said, “I don’t know 
what Gen. Yan Dorn means. I’ve got a position here, and 
can whip anything that can conic out of Corinth or hell, 
and Idou’t want to leave it.”—(his words). I told him of 
our repulse on the centre ar.d left. Dropping his head, he 
said, mournfully, “I will have use for you now, Col. I 
want you to cover my retreat.” With consummate skill I 
watched him withdraw his division from the battle field in 
perfect order, as if they were only retiring from a dress 
parade. The enemy were so severely punished that no at¬ 
tempt was made to follow, and I slowly retired in his rear, 
"keeping always a front to the rear without seeing a foe. 
But my reveries are broken by an exclamation of Guyon 
—“steady, Kate! Pious, here the birds are," We quickly 
dismount and approach. Kale stands like a marble statue, 
Nora Is creeping up to her as if sho was walking on eggs, 
1 when the scent strikes her nose, and she stands as fixed 
as if her feet were rooted in the earth. Belle timidly 
crouched in the rear, like a daughter of Niobe stricken 
with a shaft from the bow of Diana. We walk up, and 
flush: whir r-r. I lire each barrel, and with each bring 
down a bird. Guyon gets a double with his first barrel, 
and with his second brings down a towering cock that had 
whirled off to the right fora bit of limber which he is 
never destined to reach, We replace our shells and Guyon 
gives the word, “seek dead.” The birds are quickly found 
and retrieved. Here I will take issue with some of my 
sporting friends on retrieving dogs. I do uot want a dog 
that Is not a retriever, and as for its affecting the dog’s 
nose, it’s all bosh. I have seen my dogs too often bring in 
a dead bird and the next minute stand on a live one. The 
covey have alighted in a field of sedge and we move for¬ 
ward, and soon Nora lms a point, with the others backing 
lier. A firm old cook rises as we advance, and I make a 
clean miss, and as lie goes off Guyon gives him a parting 
salute and he drops to earth. At the report of Guyon's 
gun, another rises on my left and I cut him down. Here 
Kate became excited and made a break, “Down Kate!” _ 
She remembers in an instant, and drops almost on a bird, 
which rises and gets off before we are ready. We now 
move off, five birds rise and three of them fall, aud the oth¬ 
ers go off, leaving Guyon aud Pious disputing the odd bird. 
I really thiulc Guyon killed it, but the next thing to being a 
good shot is being a good eluimcr of doubtful birds; so we 
sent the doubtful bird to the bag and again moved forward. 
One arose and both fired at close range, making doll rags 
of it. Another got up under Guyon’s feet. He turned, 
fired, and missed. At the same instant I fired and he fell 
a winger. We sent the dogs after it and Nora brought it 
in alive. We again moved forward and several more got 
up; both fired. Guyon killed one aud I killed one and 
missed another. We then gathered up our dead birds and 
retraced our steps for the horses. We mount and cuter a 
field from which the corn is partly gathered, but the peas 
I hat had been planted with the corn still covered the 
ground. Nora, ahead and going at full speed, halts as if a 
chasm had opened before her, and stood as rigid as an ice¬ 
berg. Kate and Belle back her gracefully. We dismount 
and advance. Again, as the whir-r of wings scatter the 
pea pods, we each bring down a brace of birds. Belle 
breaks at the fire, and an angry exclamation from my own 
thoughtless tongue sends the timid little bitch skulking 
back to the horses. Coufouud a timid dog. I never would 
have one. The harder headed they are the better I like 
them. lean then train them to dotny bidding with a com¬ 
bination of love and fear; but training with love alone al¬ 
ways exhausted my patience. The covey sought an asy¬ 
lum in a blackjack thicket, where we had some fancy snap 
shotr, a style of shooting in which I claim to excel most 
amateurs, and we came out of the thicket with Pious two 
birds ahead of Guyon. Again we mount, and Nora, who 
excels on coveys but is uot so good for single birds, has 
another point, and we dismount and advance to her on 
foot; and as they rise Guyon bags two, and “tell it not in 
Gath; publish it not iu the streets of Askeloh,” Pious 
Jeems never touched a feather, alter all bis boasling snap 
shots. The birds alighted in a beautiful meadow, aud as 
we advanced Nora ran forward and flushed one; but Kate 
has a point and stands usstoiid as Lot’s wife, with her head 
turned back, for she had nearly passed her bird before she 
had caught the scent, and now she is in an attitude that 
would charm an artist's eye. Nora and Belle liaok her 
gracefnlly, when a scent strikes Nora’s nostril from one 
side, and she turns and rivals Kate in altitude on a point 
of her own. As we advance a bird rises to our side, which 
Guyon topples over, the game little bitches still holding 
their points. Guyon takes Nora, andlKute, and each bags 
his bird. After replacing our shells we give the command 
“hie on,” “seek bird,” and each of the pointers dash for¬ 
ward and pick up their dead birds. But look at Kate with 
a dead bird in her mouth! She is pointing another six feet 
off in the grass. Look at that, Guyon, and tell mu how 
retrieving impairs a dog’s scent. If Kale can hold a dead 
bird in her mouth aud wind a live cue several feet off in 

